Ansem's Second Report
by J. Caputo
Summary: They have returned...searching for him...a hooded figure in the Realm of a Thousand Keyblades. Who is nobody? They are the non-existent. What about the door to the light? Where is Sora?
1. Disclaimer

Disclaimer

**Disclaimer**

I do not own **Kingdom Hearts** or anything related to it. I merely possess ownership of any new characters/places/things created in this fanfiction alone that did not exist before. All ownership of **Kingdom Hearts** and affiliated material belong solely to **Square-Enix**.


	2. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER - I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS, PLACES, OR ITEMS, OR TITLE OF KINGDOM HEARTS. THE ONLY THINGS I OWN ARE THIS FANFIC ALONG WITH ANY CHARACTERS / PLACES / THINGS THAT I AND ONLY I HAVE MADE UP. ALL OWNERSHIP OF KINGDOM HEARTS BELONGS TO SQUARE - ENIX. **

The day had faded. The darkness crept up around him and twisted itself around his body, like the tentacles of an unseen monster ready to take its prey. The rain pelted his cloaked skin and pounded the ground around him. It always happened this way. First, the rain and then the destruction began. It never ended. There can never be an end. There _will_ never be an end. Because _they_ go wherever _he_ goes. 

Riku walked through the rain slowly, careful not to make too much noise. If he did, they would surely find him. He tried not to think of the Keyblade, for if he did, his heart would be open to them and they would find him. 

Riku stopped suddenly in the middle of the street. A strange sound drew his attention to the tops of one of the buildings. Riku stood there listening for the sound again. Nothing. He began to walk again, but this time, he heard a chilling cry of pain. A noise so hideous it would turn God himself into a shivering state. Riku looked where the noise emanated from in the street. The darkness shifted, and through it, Riku saw two yellow eyes peering at him, waiting for him. 

_That's it. Come at me. bastards._

Riku watched as the creature began to pull itself out of the ground and began to stand. 

_That's it. Come at me._

Riku's hand began to form into a fist. Riku imagined the weapon in his head. It was the only thing capable of defeating those things. Riku called to it. A light began to gather in his left hand palm. 

Now more and more of those creatures began to rise out of the ground. Riku could barely make out their shapes in the rain. He focused on them, acknowleging what was to come. They were disgusting, completely composed from darkness itself. They hungered for the hearts of living things. Their eyes glowed when they found something they liked, and their eyes were burning now. 

They slid from the shadows and surrounded him. In Riku's left hand, the gathering light sputtered and took shape. The Keyblade suddenly appeared, and Riku held it tightly in his hand. The creatures' gazes immediately turned to the weapon. They were truly disgusting ; sick with their lust. 

_Come on. Make your move bastards._

One of the dark creatures leaped at Riku, not thinking, not caring about the doom that awaited it when the Keyblade would melt through its skin and make it nothing more than a memory. Riku effortlessly swung the Keyblade up to meet the falling Heartless. The blade pierced the monster's flesh and the monster cried out loudly in pain before falling to the ground and melting away back into the darkness from whence it came. 

Riku turned toward the demons and raised the Keyblade in defense. He had had enough of this. He didn't come here to toy around with the enemy. 

"Where's Sora?" 

The Heartless stood there with their livid eyes on him. 

"Where's Sora?" he asked again, this time more forcefully. 

Riku waited for an answer. He knew they could tell him where Sora was, it was the fact that he had to beat it out of them that bothered him. He wished he didn't have to waste his time with these creatures. He wished all this could somehow end, that everything could go back to the way it once was, before the Heartless came. But he was trapped here, unable to return to his peaceful home. 

The Heartless began to respond. Their faces were dark and expressionless, but Riku saw that they understood him and knew exactly who he spoke of. They hissed and growled at him, bearing their sharp, dangerous claws. Riku backed against the wall of one of the buildings to which his back was turned, ever keeping his Keyblade raised just in case the enemy decided it wanted to dance. The Keyblade began to vibrate sporadically as a faint, verdant light emanated from it. Riku heard the Heartless's words in his head. 

_"He holds it...the Keyblade." _

"But he is not the one." 

"The master could not have escaped so easily." 

"This one searches for him. He who belongs behind the darkness." 

"He holds the blade...powerful...endless power...strong of heart..." 

He searches for the Keyblade Master. The one they call Sora...the source of all Heartless..." 

This one's heart is strong just like His...hunger...endless...heart...we must have it..." 

As if their minds were linked, they attacked all at once, showing no mercy. They leaped at him, grabbing at his chest, at his heart. They wanted it, but Riku was not about to give it up so easily. The Keyblade Master easily evaded their continuous attacks and quickly sliced through to counter attack. He watched the stricken Heartless writhe upon the floor, their eyes wide, still reaching out for his heart. Riku fended them off back into the street, swinging wildly at the demons. The Heartless surrounded him, taunting and snapping at him. 

Though it was certainly not the time to do so, Riku couldn't help thinking about the creatures' words. He couldn't understand what they meant by their words. But no matter. Riku once again focused on the battle at hand, drawing the energy needed to cast a spell. This spell he learned from Ansem while he was under Ansem's control. He hated using the attack again, but he saw that he had no choice. As Riku continued to concentrate, the Heartless grew even more restless, now sensing the energy gather within Riku's heart. 

Riku released the energy and a light formed around him. The light spread and seared the Heartless with its energy. Upon touching the spell, the demons grew passive ands silent. This spell allowed Riku to assume control of the creatures he was trying to destroy. The spell took shape and Riku commanded them to return to the darkness whence they came. 

He now had very little time to do what he had to. Already they were returning. He could see their features forming in the shadows of the walls once again. Riku looked to the top of the building from where he previously witnessed the strange sound. He threw his right hand out into the air and called, once again, to the darkness. The call was answered and not before long was Riku holding a second Keyblade. 

_This time...I'll fight,_ Riku told himself. _I won't loose any more worlds to these monsters. If He could do it then so can I. Don't worry, Sora...I'll find you soon. Right after I take care of a little business."_

The demons returned. They hungrily lunged at Riku. Riku raised both Keyblades and sliced the monster several times before it fell to the floor and vanished. He then whirled around and took two more who were coming up behind him. Riku turned once more and faced another Heartless. He was about to strike before feeling a sharp pain in his chest. The constricting sensation overwhelming his senses. He heard the Heartless laugh soullessly in his head...


	3. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 2

Chapter II

The rain was heavy upon the ground. Animals and people alike sheltered themselves within their homes, oblivious of the ensuing battle in the streets. The battle that was a small factor in deciding the fate of their happy world. 

Riku stood there, under the extreme pressure from the enemy's grip. Blood soaked the cloak that was wrapped around his body. He could hear the Heartless laugh at him in his head. He couldn't give up. Not now. He made a promise to an old friend, and he was determined to keep it. 

Riku summed the strength to overcome the monster's influence. 

"I think you've had enough." Riku raised his right hand and struck with the Keyblade, clearly slicing the demon in half. 

The Heartless watched as their brother fell to the floor, melting into a black fog and becoming one of the shadows. The demons hissed and growled, afraid they would soon meet the same fate as their friend. 

Two of the Heartless leaped into the air toward Riku. The Keyblade Master met them in the air, slicing at them as he passed them. More Heartless joined the fray, leaping into the air after their fallen comrades, hoping to get a taste of Riku's strong, suculent heart. Riku met their leaps with more slashes and used their writhing, exploding bodies in order to propel himself higher into the air. 

Riku found himself outnumbered and with no movement ability at all. He took the two Heartless to his left and used their bodies to allow himself to lunge at the two Heartless to his right. Riku slashed one Heartless through its head, but saw to his disappointment, that the other demon was too far away for a solid attack. Riku threw the Keyblade at it before beginning to fall to the ground. He watched as the blade seared through the monster, causing it to explode into a mass of black fog. The Keyblade turned and flew back toward Riku. He caught the blade and hit the ground hard. 

Riku needed space. He was being surrounded once again by even more Heartless than before. He needed to clear some space where he wasn't so easily overpowered. Riku looked around desperately to find a place where he could go to escape from the surrounding army of darkness. 

All at once the Heartless began to look up toward one of the buildings. It was the very building where Riku heard the sound come from. The monsters around him began to snarl uncontrollably. Riku couldn't understand why they would suddenly turn away from him. He wondered what could have taken their attention away from him. 

Then he felt it. The surge of energy. Both Keyblades began to vibrate forcefully. It took Riku awhile to recognize what it was. It was a heart. It was incredibly powerful. Riku recognized the energy emanating from the heart. He felt it before...on _him_. 

Riku eyes grew wide. Whoever was up there was making one of his Keyblades react fiercely. A tear trickled down Riku's face. 

_It...it couldn't be it?_

Riku looked around before realizing the Heartless were being drawn to the impressive mass of energy on the rooftop. He needed to beat them to it, or he may never find out where it was coming from. 

The Keyblade Master leaped over the Heartless high into the air. He landed on the front steps of the huge building. He looked up toward the roof, where he could still barely see the figure of a person standing there. Riku saw that the Heartless were already climbing their way up the sides of the building, their eyes hungry glowing. Riku needed to find a way to quickly scale the wall. 

As the Keyblade Master, Riku recognized that the Keyblades gave him certain abilities over natural laws, such as gravity and time. He realized he needed to use thesae abilities to reach the top of the building, though he was hesitant since he had never tried to use these abilities before. 

Riku leaped up onto the banister on the side of the steps aznd then onto the building's front wall. He used the Keyblades to rearrange the laws of gravity about him and he began running up the wall. Riku raced to get to the top. All around him the Heartless appeared, coming up out of the wall as he passed. They ran after him, determined not to let him have the heart first. Riku slashed at their reaching arms and swung the Keyblades wildly, cleanly cutting through the demons as they appeared and attacked him. He watched their bodies fall to the ground in an explosion of black fog upon the pavement as he continued up the side of the building. 

As he drew closer to the rooftop, the Keyblade in his left hand began glowing and vibrating. Riku was losing control of the weapon. He looked ahead and saw Heartless falling toward him with their arms outstretched and their claws ready to rip through his flesh. The active Keyblade flew out of his left hand and whirled upward toward the top of the building, destroying the falling Heartless as it touched them. 

Riku pushed faster up the building to catch up with the spinning Keyblade, but something else now drew his attention. The figure on the rooftop jumped out away from the building just as the Keyblade was nearing him. Riku struggled to watch as the rain burned his eyes. He saw the figure reach his arms out and grab the Keyblade. The figure caught the weapon in his hand and began to fall to the ground. 

Riku watched this in amazement. He could not believe what he was witnessing. The figure couldn't control that Keyblade. Riku knew this. It was simply impossible. The Keyblade already had a master. That Keyblade belonged to a long lost friend, the one true Keyblade Master, the one Riku was risking his life to find. It was impossible that this stranger could wield it, unless... No way. Not possible. Riku wasn't going to accept it. The master of that Keyblade passed into the darkness a long time ago. It just wasn't possible. Had the Oblivion taken on a new master? Had _he_ been freed? Was he finally awake? 

Riku percieved the figure swiftly falling toward him with the Keyblade in hand. He rushed toward the figure with his Keyblade drawn, ready to strike if the stranger also had the intention of doing so. The Keyblade Master doubled his speed up the side of the building and drew in closer to the rooftop as the stranger dropped quickly toward the ground. 

The two warriors met, and for awhile, time seemed to be at a standstill. Riku gazed up into the darkened hood of the strange person, and for an instant, thought he witnessed two livid yellow eyes staring back at him, glowing with a dark, but hungry fire. Riku's eyes grew wide at the impossibility. 

_"Heartless!"_

It was impossible. Simply impossible. A weapon as pure as the Keyblade could never have been attracted to one of them. The sheer thought of that was insane. They are the scourge the Keyblade was designed to destroy. 

They passed each other. The stranger passed Riku but quickly grabbed him, moving too quickly for any normal person to notice. Riku felt his warm breath upon his shoulder. His voice was light and crisp, just like _His._ It was so reminiscent of him that Riku nearly lost concentration. The stranger's voice flooded Riku's mind. 

"Behind the darkness lies the door to the light. The treasure your heart seeks is hidden there." 

Riku's eyes grew wide. "How do you know this?" 

"I have traveled the darkness and have seen what lies beyond the door. Seek out Ansem's Second Report. There you will find what you have been searching for. The one you call _Sora._" 

"But what if I fail?" 

"Then maybe our journey meant nothing after all." 

The stranger slipped away down the building. Riku continued running upward until he reached the rooftop. He leaped onto the flat roof, turning to watch the figure slip away into the darkness of the street below. The rain still beat upon Riku's shoulders heavily. 

Riku heard a sound from behind him. He whirled around to find the Heartless forming themselves from the shadows to come at him once again. Riku steadied his Keyblade. The monsters ran at him, their eyes screaming with intense hunger. Riku called another spell, realizing the fight would be harder without his other Keyblade. This spell came to him more easily, being as how he cast it many times before. It was the simplest of all spells. The Keyblade Master began to murmur the words, and as he did so the Keyblade glowed with a purple light. Riku directed the energy toward the oncoming group of demons. The monsters stopped as a dark ring formed around them. The ring began to spin and form a large sphere of energy around his enemies. Riku focused his power through the Keyblade and lifted the sphere high into the air. Riku held them there for awhile, looking to see if they would try to escape. He then uttered the execution word of the spell and watched as the dark sphere closed in and collapsed around his enemies, crushing them into the shadows. 

Riku looked around and saw that the Heartless seemed to have mysteriously disappeared. Riku quickly sent his Keyblade away before the creatures could detect his heart again. He leaped off the edge of the roof and landed roughly in the street below. He wondered what the strange person meant by what he had said. His words echoed in Riku's mind. 

What had he meant by _Ansem's Second Report_? Riku started to walk through the now desolate street. He wondered what the stranger had meant by his journey meaning nothing. He hadn't a clue what Riku had gone through searching for the friend he cared so much for. Then it hit him. He remembered the stranger's words. 

"Maybe _our_ journey meant nothing..." He had said _our_! Riku felt excitement build within him. Had he found his beloved friend? Had his journey really come to an end? 

_Sora. Have I finally found you? If that was you then why didn't you tell me? Why did you leave me here? Especially now when I need your help the most...I need to find it. Ansem's Second Report. It could help me find you. I will find you, and when I do, I'll want some answers. _


	4. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 3

**Ansem's Second Report Chapter III**

Riku gazed at the bright light of the sun. He threw his hand up to his face to shield his eyes from its radiance. The sun gave off a distinct attitude of happiness and a sense of good feeling. Riku walked out across the sand towards the water. There, in the foaming shore, stood Sora, his back turned, looking out across the endless horizon. 

Riku called to him in an attempt to get him to turn around. Sora remained passive and did not respond to his calls. Riku began to run toward Sora, but as his feet touched the water, it receded from him. The farther he walked into the water, the farther away the water drew. The water continued to recede until it flowed past Sora. Riku watched the water as it formed into a huge wave. Sora suddenly turned around and blankly stared at Riku. 

Riku immediately noticed the darkness and pure cold in his eyes. It was as if they masked an empty void; A world of nothingness. Sora smiled at Riku just as the wave came crashing down upon them. When Riku stopped swirling through the mass of water, he saw Sora standing there with his blank smile. Sora once again extended his emotionless hand out to Riku, who desperately tried to grab hold of it. Just as they were about to join hands, the current of water separated them and Riku watched as Sora slipped farther and farther away until he was out of sight. Riku could not hold his breath any longer and he fell asleep under the water. 

Riku awoke in the surf on the shore. He could feel the foaming water move about his body. The sun was setting and the world around him was darkening slowly. Riku stood and faced the horizon where the Sun was setting. He suddenly heard a sound in the sand behind him. Riku turned to view his mocker and nearly fell trying to stagger backwards. 

"No. It can't be." 

Riku recognized the man immediately. He wore a white coat and black pants. He alone commanded sole authority of the forces of darkness. The man turned and raised his glowing yellow eyes to meet Riku's. 

"Hello Riku. Nice to see you again. Remember me?" The man smiled a thin menacing grin. 

Riku's eyes widened. "No. Not you. It can't be. Not you!" 

Riku awoke with a jolt, the remnants of the dream still in his mind. He had been haunted by such images since he was freed from possession.


	5. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 4

**Ansem's Second Report**

**Chapter IV**

Riku awoke in the darkness of the hotel room with the disturbing dream still in his mind. He had been having the same dream since he and the King escaped from their dark prison in Kingdom Hearts. To this day, Riku had not been able to shed the dream. Every morning since he had woken up feeling cold, lost, alone, and confused. This morning was no different.

Riku sat up in his bed and looked out the window next to him. Even in the middle of night this city was a sad site. The people, who never seemed to sleep at all, wasted themselves away down here in what seemed to be the slums of this metropolis. The buildings were kept in poor condition and the streets were lined with trash and other waste from the higher parts of the city. Riku stared upward through the window at what seemed to be a large disc separating the city into two layers. Obviously, those with enough financial resources could live comfortably, away from the pollution of the lower world, but those without the backing of money were faced with a much sadder fate. Just several days ago, Riku heard a drunk call the city Midgar, the city of freedom and opportunity, but Riku saw no freedom or opportunity here. Only sadness and depression. He'd never been to the Upper World.

Riku, turning his attention back toward himself, looked about the room he was in to make sure all his belongings were still with him. He saw his cloak and his shoes next to a chair in the small room. He extended his right and left hands, but immediately retracted his left, remembering that his other Keyblade was lost to that mysterious character. He called to his Keyblade, all the while trying to keep the energies of his heart low so as not to attract the Heartless. A soft white glow accumulated in his hand. The shadows in the room seemed to recede from its brilliance. The glow grew to fill his palm, and suddenly he was holding the Keyblade. He quickly dismissed it for fear of discovery. He couldn't risk a fight in here.

Riku wondered what his next move would be. It was getting late for this world. Already he could see the changes: the violent rainstorms, large groupings of Heartless, and the ever-ominous ringing of his Keyblade.

Riku climbed out of bed and stood up. He stretched his arms and was greeted by a dull pain. His arms were sore from the battle earlier that night. He rotated his arms a few times to ease the pain. He began to walk across the room to don his cloak, but caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and stopped. His body was badly scarred and showed obvious signs of fatigue. Riku looked away and forced the image from his mind.

Riku dressed himself and walked out the door of his room. Outside the hotel, he looked around at the many people walking through town and tried to discern what to do next. He was told to look for a man named Barret Wallace and that this man could steer him in the right direction to what he searched for. According to Riku's source, Wallace knew Midgar better than anyone on the planet. Unfortunately, his source only gave him one clue as to find Wallace, "Two less than nine past the place the Devil cannot reach." Riku frowned as he remembered the clue, trying to decipher its meaning. He felt lost. The city itself was huge. And with the destruction of this world not being so far off, Riku couldn't help but feel a sense of entrapment. He began to walk to his right, while he thought of a way to find this Barret Wallace.

Riku came to a small building that stole his attention. He immediately knew he would find the person he'd been searching for in this small building. He quickly ran inside with a growing feeling of excitement as he swallowed the name of the establishment: '7th Heaven."

Upon entering Riku found the place empty. His hopes sank like a stone. It seemed as if the place hadn't been used in years. The chairs were upside-down on the tables and cobwebs filled the corners and ceiling boards. Riku let out a frustrated sigh.

A sudden movement behind him drew his attention to the ceiling. There was someone in here with him. Riku quickly summoned the Keyblade and swung it behind him in defense. He was surprised to be met with the clang of metal on metal. Riku leaped back to see a man standing before him. He was tall with dark skin and thick facial hair. Riku noticed a weapon and nearly gasped in shock. It seemed as if the weapon was embedded into this man's skin!

The man produced a small glowing crystal orb, which he placed in a small slot in his weapon. "Gravity," he muttered. He leaped at Riku just as Riku rolled forward to evade his attack. Riku quickly stood and looked back behind himself to see the man coming at him with his fist cocked back. He hit Riku square in his chest, a blow that sent him shooting through the wall and slammed him hard into the ground. Riku bounced several times before he slammed into the wall of another building and fell to the floor. Within seconds the man was on him, holding him high up in the air. Riku, barely conscious, was hardly able to mutter, "N-no…wait…"

The man laughed and said, "Who are you? What do you want? You better not be another one o' them damn Shinra, 'cause if you are, I'll show you the taste of my gun powder." He put Riku down and leveled the gun at Riku's face.

Riku looked at the gun, then up at the stranger. "M-my name…is Riku," he said. "I…I'm looking for Barret W-w-w-allace…"

The man's eyes widened. "Holy shit!" he said, "I apologize. I'm Barret. I didn't mean at…shit, I'm sorry…I'll have ya fixed up in no time." Barret lowered his gun and helped Riku to stand. Riku dismissed the Keyblade and clasped his hands to his chest. "Cure…" he muttered. A green light appeared in his palm and it sent a warming sensation through his body. When the light dissipated, Riku stood up on his own, regarding the man, Barret, and the look of shock on his face.


	6. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 5

**Ansem's Second Report**

**Chapter V**

Barrett stared at Riku with a look of pure amazement. "You…you just…it ain't possible. It just ain't!"

Riku looked at him quizzically. "What…you mean the spell?"

"Whatever that was!" Barrett fired back, "How'd ya do that without usin' materia?"

"Whoa, slow down. I don't even know what materia is. How do you expect me to use it?"

"To put it simply," said a young girl, "it gives you the ability to use magic."

Riku whirled around to look behind him toward _7th Heaven_. He saw a young woman walking quickly toward him.

"Forgive Barrett," she said, "he can sometimes act without thinking. My name is Tifa Lockheart."

Riku bowed to her in respect. "I am Riku."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. And I'm sure you've already met Barrett."

"Yes," said Riku, "we've already had some time to horse around."

Barrett spoke quickly to cut to the chase and cover his embarrassment. "The king told me you'd be coming. Said we were gonna help you find something called the Keyhole, whatever the hell that means."

"Well then," said Tifa, "we'd better get started. What's a Keyhole?"

Riku sighed. He never thought he'd be giving anyone the same speech given to him by his dark master. "All living beings have hearts: the sources of life, energy, and light. However, no matter how pure the heart, darkness always sleeps inside. It's what keeps balance in the living being. Given the chance, one drop of darkness can spread and swallow a heart. I'm going to guess you've already met the heartless?" Both shook their head. Riku continued, "Well, that's what happens when darkness covers a heart. They are born, and with a nasty appetite for other hearts to create more heartless."

Barrett gave him a sarcastic look. "What does this have to with…"

Riku held up his hand. "All living beings have hearts…even worlds. And those hearts are just as vulnerable to the heartless. They get at the world's heart by entering through a special door. A door that can be closed forever by locking the Keyhole that guards it. Trust me. If you want to save your world, we need to close that door."

"An' jus' how'r we gonna do that?"

Riku smiled at Barrett. "You ever wonder why my blade is shaped like a key?"

Barrett's look of acceptance quickly turned to determination, as he realized they didn't have much time. "We gotta come up with a plan," he said, "Where do we start looking for this Keyhole thing?"

Riku started to walk back to the _7th Heaven_. "That's the problem. I don't know. I've been looking for it for days now. It's as if no trace of it exists."

Tifa seemed to be in a pensive lock. She called out to Barrett. "Maybe we should find Cloud."

"Tifa," Barrett responded, "you know he's busy right now, fighting that Geostigma stuff. We can't bother him now. Let's help this fella' out an' then go 'n' help Cloud."

"Alright, Barrett. Let's hope you know what you're doing." The two followed Riku, who already called to his Keyblade and was holding it. The weapon was glowing with a brilliant white light.

"What's that light?" said Tifa as she shielded her eyes.

"This light is a sensor. I'm trying to find a source of great energy output. It's most likely that that would be our Keyhole. The Keyblade should be picking up signals, but it seems to me as if it's _confused_."

Tifa and Barrett smiled knowingly at Riku. "You really don't know what materia is, do you? It is the single most abundant and radiant energy source on the planet. And this entire city is lined with it. There used to be a company here called Shinra. They marketed the materia to people and used it on their soldiers. It's no wonder your blade can't pick anything up. You must be sensing energy readings all around you."

Riku, feeling somewhat sheepish, put the weapon away. "Then there has to be another way to find this thing."

"Sure," said Barrett, "Just tell us what usually happens when one of these things appears."

"Well, there seems to be a lot of energy surrounding the area. Strong energy that's pure. It would have to be enough energy to keep this world alive and hold it together."

Barrett and Tifa both looked at each other. They were each thinking the exact same thing. A place where energy gathered…where there was much life. Where the Planet had at one time tried to heal itself after a great battle at the northern tip of the world. The both yelled in unison, "Old Midgar."


	7. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 6

**Ansem's Second Report**

**Chapter VI**

It was a sight to behold. One could still feel the energy and spirit of life emanating from the ruins of this once great metropolis. Old Midgar was in shambles. Nothing but a pale shadow of its former splendor. This city, once a huge and sprawling place was now crawling with the monstrosities produced by the greatest travesty of all: a incorporated conglomerate by the name of Shinra Incorporated.

Barrett and Tifa saw past the thickness of the weeds and the debris of the fallen buildings, envisioning a place where life thrived yet, and where their hopes and their dreams would one day be realized. Tifa tried desperately not to shed a tear as she saw Midgar, her home, destroyed, bearing almost none of the resemblance to its previous state. Barrett looked and saw how great the power of nature had become. At how the greatest thing man had ever created could crumble so easily under the power of the Planet's divine will.

Riku could understand the way they felt. He missed his home too. He was suddenly filled with visions of the blue waters and white sands of the Destiny Islands. He could almost feel the cool breeze as it moved through his clothes and across his skin to send pleasurable shivers down his back. He missed it then, and he decided to push it from his mind and focus on the matters at hand. He was a long way from home, and he had to accept it. The sooner the better.

The journey into Midgar was silent. No one had the desire to speak. They just wanted to complete the mission. They faced minor encounters with the common beasts of the area. Nothing they couldn't handle.

Once inside the gates of the enormous city, the party wasn't surprised to see the abundance of life all about them. It seemed as if eons of evolution took place in just a few years. Just as well, there were massive amounts of mutations of plants and animals everywhere.

"Keep your eyes open," Barrett said. "This could get a little messy. Riku, anything on that power source?"

"I'll let you know in a second." Riku called to his Keyblade. Riku felt the vibrations flowing through it even as it materialized in his hand. "There's energy everywhere," he said. "The Keyhole is definitely here."

A deafening sound emanated from the sky above them, but upon looking up, the group saw nothing but the greenish haze of the mako-filled air. The sound came again, only louder this time. Riku raised his Keyblade, preparing for battle. _Whatever that was_, he thought, _it wasn't friendly_.

One of the walls of a nearby building crashed down just as the ground near the wall exploded, sending debris high into the air. Riku instinctively leaped up high, poised to kill whatever demon fell into the ground, but upon seeing what the crater contained, forced himself to miss. Riku landed near the crater and looked into it. Cloud Strife looked back up at him in surprise. "You," they muttered simultaneously.

Cloud leaped out of the hole to the other side of the crater and faced Riku. They both held their weapons in defense from each other. Cloud was the first to speak. "What are you doing here."

"I'm trying to find the Keyhole."

"How did you come back?"

Riku drew a smirk. "Well, I _am_ the Keyblade Master, after all."

"Impossible," Cloud shot back. "Sora is the only true Keyblade Master. There's no way the Keyblade would choose a heart as smothered in darkness as yours."

"On the contrary Cloud. I've rejected the darkness and taken up a mission."

"What do you mean?"

"Sora is missing, Cloud. No one knos where he is. The day I acquired his Keyblade I started looking for him, knowing that the only reason his Keyblade would come to me is because I was his closest friend. I'm the only one next to Sora with a strong enough heart to wield this weapon."

Cloud noticed Tifa and Barrett and put his sword down. "I sense no lies from you. The Keyblade cannot obey a liar."

"Cloud!" Tifa ran over to Cloud, concerned that he was hurt. "What's going on? What could have been strong enough to do that?"

"Someone summoned Bahamut, Tifa. I can't stop it. Whoever's controlling it boosted its strength substantially. It's tearing Midgar apart."

Riku suddenly felt the pull. The Keyblade vibrated with pure eagerness. Riku's eyes grew wide as he whispered, "Heartless."

"It ain't possible," said Barrett. "A Heartless could never control somethin' as powerful as Bahamut."

Riku looked at Cloud. "What summons Bahamut?"

"What?"

"What summons Bahamut? Is there an energy force? Some kind of materialization?"

"Well," said Cloud, "not really. It is summoned from a link between the summoner and materia…" Cloud's voice trailed off.

Riku looked up behind him. There stood Bahamut, looming over him. Riku looked into its eyes. A yellow glow was harbored at their center. Riku leaped backwards over the crater and landed next to Cloud. He raised his Keyblade in defense as they all began backing up slowly. "Definitely Heartless." Bahamut let out a deafening roar that shook the ground at their feet.

"But how?" Cloud yelled.

"You said that Bahamut was summoned from a link between the summoner and materia. Materia comes from mako. Don't you see? Mako is the life blood of this planet: the heart of this planet! If Bahamut formed from mako, that makes it very easy for the Heartless to control, no matter how powerful it is. And I'll bet there's a nasty one inside Bahamut right now. We have to stop it! We don't have a choice!"

"An' how d'ya suppose we do that?" said Barrett.

"We'll have to do it by force," said Tifa.

"No!" Riku interrupted. "There's gotta be another way! A weak spot of some kind."

Cloud shot him a sarcastic look. "Are you kidding? Bahamut is the king of all dragons. There's no way in hell you'll find a weak spot. Tifa was right. Force is the only way."

"Alright, then, if that's the way you want it."

Bahamut let out a roar as he spotted Cloud and the rest of the group. Cloud joined Riku and raised his sword. "This ends here."

Within seconds, Cloud and Riku were on Bahamut with Tifa and Barrett following closely. They sensed this fight would be difficult and their theory was about to be proven.


	8. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 7

**Ansem's Second Report**

**Chapter VII**

Riku fell into the ground hard. Blood streaked his cloak. He was getting weaker as the fight went on. Not even his most powerful curative magic was holding up as well. _I sure wish I had a Potion_, he thought. Riku glanced up to see the rest of the small party fighting hard against the plethora of Bahamut's attacks. His gaze caught onto Cloud. Riku couldn't believe his incredible strength and stamina. Cloud seemed to take beating after beating without stopping or slowing down. Amazing.

Riku readied his Keyblade and leaped onto Bahamut's left leg, stabbing the blade into the monster's flesh. Black smoke erupted from the wound. Riku ripped the Keyblade out and made several quick slashes across his thigh before falling back to the ground. Bahamut didn't even seem phased by the new gaping wound Riku had created. Cloud, too, fell to the ground next to him. He looked even worse. Scars and cuts stretched across his face, all bleeding excessively. Riku looked back up at Bahamut. Barrett and Tifa were losing momentum as well. It seemed as though physical attacks were ineffective.

An idea struck Riku then. He turned to Cloud. "Give me your most powerful magic materia."

Cloud's expression grew puzzled. "Why?"

"I have an idea. Just trust me. It just might work."

"Alright here you go." Cloud tossed a small glowing orb to Riku. "That's Ultima." He figured he had nothing to lose. If they didn't do something quickly, they'll all be dead.

"Thanks," said Riku. He looked at the orb. _I know this spell. If I can just combine them_, he thought. Riku touched the materia with the Keyblade. Both weapons started glowing a pale green. Riku felt the energy of the materia coursing through his consciousness. It felt as if there was a rush of knowledge being shoved into his head all at once. He also felt the energy of the powerful Ultima spell and knew exactly what it could do. "Cloud, I need you to hold Bahamut with Tifa and Barrett while I charge both spells together."

Cloud's eyes grew wide with amazement. "Both? You've got to be joking. You'll kill us!"

"Then before I cast this thing, we run."

Cloud looked at Riku with skepticism. After some thoughtful consideration, Cloud nodded and leaped up to join the fight once more and keep Bahamut at bay. Riku leaped back several strides to get clear of Bahamut's attacks. He saw the entire battle in plain view. His comrades were growing tired. Soon, they'll be too exhausted to fight. Riku had to hurry. He immediately began gathering the energy for this massive double-Ultima spell.

Cloud's body ached everywhere. But he knew that if he slipped, he'd be finished. He couldn't allow that. He landed hard on Bahamut's left shoulder and dug his sword into the monster's thick skin. He sent the blade completely under before slashing horizontally and ripping the sword out of Bahamut's back. Blood and black smoke sprayed everywhere, but Bahamut merely shook Cloud off, not even slowing down. Bahamut held Cloud in its massive fist and slammed him into the ground several times. There was a quick flash of red light as the giant fist finally opened, releasing Cloud in mid-air. He perceived a mass of fire around Bahamut's fist before his back slammed onto the rock hard floor. Tifa landed next to him and extended her hand.

"Thought you could use extra help."

"What about Barrett?" asked Cloud.

"Still up there blasting away. He's keeping big boy occupied. By the way, we know what Riku is planning. We'll do our best to keep Bahamut at bay. In the meantime, Barrett thinks you should go and help Riku charge it." She pointed a finger as she said this and Cloud followed it. He saw Riku trying desperately to charge the spell in time, surrounded by a glowing white mist. He was about to crack.

"Fine," said Cloud. He handed Tifa a small green materia. "But as soon as I give the signal I want you and Barrett to use this and get the hell out of here as fast as possible. Understand?" Tifa nodded as Cloud raced towards Riku, defending himself from falling debris and remnants of spells. He looked back to see Tifa rejoin the battle, attacking Bahamut head-on with magic while Barrett fired a volley of rounds into Bahamut's head.

Cloud finally caught up with Riku. "I came to help," he said. Riku nodded and Cloud began to channel his energy into the spell, lessening the burden on Riku. They became one mind, focusing solely on the form and power of the completed spell. The white mist surrounded Cloud as well as he channeled his being into the spell. Ultima began to take form in front of them. A soft green light gathered several yards in front of them and began to grow, becoming brighter and brighter by the second. Soon the spell would be ready and this beast would be nothing more than a memory. _After this battle is over_, thought Cloud, _I'll want answers._

Riku gazed at the ball of soft green light in front of him with a sense of awe as it took further shape. He never imagined just how immense the strength of this spell would be. He sensed Cloud tiring next to him and wondered how much longer either of them would keep it up before they lost all their energy. He couldn't let this thing go without completing it. Tifa and Barrett were depending on him.

His gaze shifted to the battle beyond the light. Barrett and Tifa were doing their best to keep the great monster at bay, but they were slowing fast. Tifa with her great spells of fire and thunder and Barrett with his perpetual volley of rounds into Bahamut's hide weren't doing enough damage, or so it seemed. The great King of The Dragons was a mess of open, bleeding wounds. Dark smoke blasted out of them with every hit. It seemed as though the demon were near to death, but his strength and his speed remained ever vigilant and never wavering, not even for one second.

Then, something happened. Tifa began to cast another attack as Bahamut slammed her with its arm. Tifa went slamming into the ground behind some piled debris. Riku's eyes widened in disbelief when he noticed that Tifa hadn't resurfaced to rejoin the battle. Barrett continued his assault on the monster.

_Barrett, help her!_ thought Riku. Barrett continued to perform his attacks on Bahamut as if he hadn't noticed his friend had been struck.

A white light shone down on the spot where Tifa fell. A great rumbling shook the ground as a brilliant light pierced the night sky. From the light there formed a great beast, larger than Bahamut with a body of metal and six huge white wings. Its four legs looked like castle towers and its body was consisted of many cogs and gears that seemed to be synchronized with each other as the beast took several gigantic steps forward. It's wings glowed with a brilliant white light that made the darkness of night like the light of the day. Riku was nearly blinded by this and nearly lost concentration in the spell.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, turning to Cloud.

"The ultimate holy summon, Alexander," he replied.

"What does it do?"

"Good question. Why don't you ask Tifa? It's her summon."

Riku looked behind him and saw to his disbelief that Tifa had come up right behind him along with Barrett and they now began taking up some of the burden of forming the spell. With the four of them, Ultima would be finished in no time.

Tifa smiled at Riku. "Sorry. I just had to move fast so that Bahamut wouldn't notice. Right after I took that fall, I called to Alexander for help and then got my ass out of there. I was almost squashed by the help I called for."

Barrett grunted. "Shi't. I was spooked out o' my wits. Thought you were…well…I jus' don't wanna think about it."

"Anyway," said Tifa, "Barrett and I are here to help. Looks like you guys could use it. Especially you, Cloud, you look terrible."

"Rub it in," said Cloud.

As the four of them concentrated, the spell glowed brighter. All they needed was for Alexander to hold off Bahamut for a few minutes before they would send this monster back into the darkness forever. All their gazes turned to the battle being fought beyond the brilliant green light.

The two titans stood there facing each other, yearning for the intense battle that was to come, Alexander, sensing Bahamut's strength, and Bahamut, wanting to hungrily consume Alexander's brilliant light. Alexander had been called in order to buy Riku and the others time to cast their spell. It was the only being known to kill Bahamut before. It would have to do it again, it seemed, or at least weaken Bahamut enough so that Ultima would distroy it. Riku and the others stared hard as battle came underway.

Bahamut made the first move. With a flap of his gigantic wings, he launched himself toward Alexander and struck at its gun turrets, knowing exactly where its power emanated from. Bahamut had fought this holy machine before and knew exactly where to strike in order to weaken the mechanized beast. Alexander evaded Bahamut's strike as Bahamut flew past it at the speed of sound.

Riku's eyes widened in disbelief at Alexander's speed. "Impossible," he said, "I had no idea that thing could move so fast!"

"Jus' you wait!" said Barrett, "This thing's jus' gettin' warmed up!"

Alexander's evasion caught Bahamut by surprise. Bahamut turned and began to charge energy into its mouth and a soft blue light gathered in its huge jaws. Before he could fire, a missile of light slammed into his mouth, and the energy Bahamut gathered detonated the missile in its mouth. The explosion from the discharge split the skies and cracked the ground. Riku nearly lost his footing to the great tremors that moved through the hard rock. Debris was thrown everywhere. No one could see what had happened to neither Bahamut nor Alexander. Riku tried desperately to peer through the debris and found that he couldn't see a thing. He knew that they were alive, however. He could feel the giant beasts' presences still thriving and very prominent. Then he felt a jolt. One of them had made an attack, and just then the smoke cleared just enough and gave him the conformation he needed.

Bahamut's claws were deeply seeped into one of Alexander's mechanic extensions. It seemed as though Bahamut were trying to rip Alexander's gears right out of its exoskeleton! Alexander needed to get free of Bahamut's hold or one of its gun turrets would be no more. Bahamut learned very quickly. He knew exactly where to strike. Its intelligence and speed as well as its sheer ferocity made it worthy of the title King of The Dragons. Its eyes glowed fire as it yanked hard on Alexander's gun turret. Just then the gun turret clicked open and Alexander fired a volley of automatic rounds of pure light into Bahamut's head. Bahamut screamed in pain and let go of Alexander. Its gun turret was heavily damaged but still useable. Sparks erupted out of one of the barrels. The turret would not last much longer. Alexander might only be able to extract several more rounds out of it before it shut down. Bahamut roared in triumph recognizing the damage it had inflicted was severe.

"Holy Shit!" yelled Barrett, "I can't believe it! The mother actually took that!" Riku was shocked too. If Bahamut could withstand an attack like that, then maybe not even this upgraded Ultima spell would do the trick. But Riku knew, that for the sake of this world, he had to try. He just needed a little more time while Alexander weakened Bahamut some more. He just hoped it was enough. But Bahamut showed no signs of slowing. The energy released from the missiles Bahamut chewed on hadn't even phased it. The Titans now stood facing each other waiting for the other to make a move. Riku stood off with the others watching and hoping that the next few blows wouldn't be the last for Alexander.

Alexander was a large, dominant mechanized monster with a body of steel machinery and the power over the light itself. It had four very powerful steel legs that encompassed many gears and machine parts. Its body was mostly all machinery as was its head and the many gun turrets on its back and shoulders. The powerful gun turrets on its back and shoulders were capable of dealing a massive amount of damage, especially to those who had an affinity toward the darkness and evil. But through all the machinery, Riku could feel the sheer power and will of Alexander's pure heart.

Bahamut on the other hand was just the opposite. It had not come upon the title of the King of Dragons lightly. Bahamut oozed power, and all creatures that lay in its wake knew exactly why. It had a long slender body. Thin, but muscular arms and legs and torso gave a hint of the sheer speed with which Bahamut could attack and move. Its extremities ended in sharp claws with which to fiercely attack. The head struck terror to all who gazed upon its gruesome visage. The eyes burned a deep red and fire erupted from them. The horns on its head like the crown of a king signified its mastery over all beasts, big and small. Its powerful, leathery wings beat fiercely to carry it in the air as it made use of its quick speed and ferocity. Truly this was the King of Dragons.

The two titans moved at each other at once. Bahamut with his fierce speed and Alexander with a volley of Light Missiles. Bahamut blew some of the missiles aside while others exploded into its shoulders and neck. But those massive blows didn't stop him. Bahamut advanced to Alexander while gathering energy in its mouth. Just as Bahamut reached his foe, the great machine beast deflected Bahamut backward and into the air with a shield of light. In the sky, Bahamut regained its momentum and fired the gathered energy. The fireball glowed white hot as it exploded out of Bahamut's mouth and down through the air at Alexander. Alexander, being too slow to sidestep the shot, put up another shield of light in order to try and block. The shield held initially, but broke under the extreme force of the shot. In a violent explosion, smoke and pieces of metal gears flew outwards as some of the energy damaged Alexander. Slowly, piece by piece, the mechanical beast was being blasted apart. Riku could feel the life force ebbing out of Alexander into nothingness.

But Bahamut was weakening as well. The strain of continued battle and spell casting was taking its toll. Riku noticed that Bahamut's movements were slowing down, and even that last blow might have proven too much for Alexander had Bahamut been at its full strength. But it wasn't. And Riku could sense it. Soon Ultima would be ready, and Bahamut's time was beginning to run short.


	9. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 8

**Ansem's Second Report**

**Chapter VIII**

Riku gazed into the soft green light of Ultima. He could feel the raw power stirring from the spell. It was almost ready and once unleashed, would have enough power to destroy whatever force was controlling Bahamut. A sudden sound drew Riku's attention away from the spell and back to the battle before him. Alexander was not faring well. Riku only hoped it could fend off Bahamut long enough for the spell to fully form.

Alexander took hit after hit from Bahamut, each with an eruption of gears and metal. After Bahamut had blasted Alexander, it could no longer move like it had been. Many of Alexanders missiles began to miss or were too weak to do any significant damage to Bahamut. Those that did connect with Bahamut were just thrown aside or plowed through. Bahamut sent blast after blast into Alexander's metallic hide and the damage was wearing Alexander thin. Soon, Alexander would fall and this part of the battle would be over.

Riku felt someone withdraw from the spell. "Riku." It was Barrett. "I'm exhausted! That's all I can give you!"

"Are you sure?" asker Riku.

"Yeah."

"Then go help Alexander. You can't do any more good here."

"Gotcha!" Barrett ran forward towards the fight, barely dodging flying bits of shrapnel exploding off of Alexander.

Riku felt the others withdraw as well. They too began to run after Barrett.

"That's all we got," said Cloud, "We're going with Barrett." Before Riku could say anything, Cloud drew his blade ran off followed by Tifa. This had become a setback. Without the help of the others Riku would need more time to charge, unless he could find another great source of power.

The spell had grown since the initial casting. It had become quite large and now hovered over Riku's head, constantly getting larger and brighter. But it was growing too slowly. Riku needed to tap into a large source of power and he needed to do it quickly. The burden of holding the spell in check as grew began to weigh too much on him.

Cloud, Barrett, and Tifa engaged Bahamut along with Alexander. They needed to stall Bahamut just a while more so that Riku could finish the spell. The great King of The Dragons pounded upon Alexander. The metal guardian was almost finished. It could barely even move anymore. With several flaps of its great wings, Bahamut flew high up in the sky. With a great roar, it began to gather energy to itself to prepare for one final attack on Alexander. A blue light gathered in its mouth and grew brighter and brighter.

"This is it," said Cloud. "After this, it's up to us."

Bahamut let out a deafening roar as it fired a huge blast of energy down towards a helpless Alexander. Alexander was dwarfed by the power of the energy rocket. The energy connected and collapsed in on itself, shrinking down to the size of a materia. There was a vast silence that disrupted Riku's senses. It was as if the power was there, but not. Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett stopped running. All was still, even Alexander. It did not move an inch. Seconds later an immense explosion rocked Midgar. The ground rocked violently and the clouds in the sky split and were blown back. A wall of wind rushed quickly up to where Riku was standing as Alexander was completely incinerated by the intense energy and heat of the blast. Metal parts threatened to decapitate Riku as they blew past him at lightning speeds. A light grew and grew where Alexander was standing, filling all of Riku's vision, destroying whatever it came into contact with. Then, the light began to dissipate and return to darkness. In the wake of the incredible attack, Riku saw a soft purple light rising higher and higher into the air towards Bahamut. Darkness surrounded the light and it was no more.

Riku's eyes widened at the thought of what just happened. _No! That was its heart, you bastard!_

Riku was relieved to see the others resume their trek towards the winged beast. _At least they're okay,_ he thought. His concentration was nearly lost with the thought that a creature as pure as Alexander now slept forever in the realm of darkness. Riku felt the immense power of the heart before the heartless consumed it and took its power with them. Then it hit him.

_The heart! A power source..._

Riku gazed up above him toward Ultima. Slowly the realization hit him. He gazed back down at his friends, who now once again engaged Bahamut in its dog fight. _But...could I do it? There's so much darkness...it may not work._

_"Giving up already? I thought you were stronger than that!"_ Riku heard the mysterious voice in his head. His head snapped up. He looked around, trying to discern the source of the voice.

"Sora!" he called. "Sora!! Where are you? This isn't funny!" No response. The Kingdom Key appeared in his right hand. A simple, but elegant weapon. Not the Keyblade he'd been using.

_"Take it. Don't be afraid."_ Again the voice. Riku looked down at the Keyblade in his hand. He summoned the other one. The one that was bound to him. The one that he'd promised he's keep until he found his friend. The Oathkeeper appeared in his left hand. Riku now realized what he had to do. _But if I use the light, all that'll be left is the darkness. I'll...disappear._

Riku thrust both Keyblades into the air. He began to spin them around and around, faster and faster. He could already feel the tug on his heart. The two Keyblades were being infused with the light energy from his heart. The plan was simple: use the light in his own heart to defeat the darkness controlling Bahamut. If Riku's heart was powerful enough to attract two Keyblades, then the light in his heart was powerful enough to destroy Bahamut. However, Riku was unsure of what would happen to him once the light in his heart was completely expended.

Cloud leaped high into the air on to Bahamut's knee and stabbed downward with his sword through its flesh. Bahamut flicked Cloud off like he was just some bothersome mosquito. Cloud struck the ground hard and streaked through the dirt, kicking up sand and dirt into the air. He couldn't take much more of this and neither could Tifa and Barrett. He slowly rose to his feet and looked over towards Riku. He was spinning two Keyblades wildly in the air.

_Where did he get that one?_ he thought, noticing the Kingdom Key. _It looks like the King's. _Cloud leaped out of the way just before Bahamut's foot came down where he was. He steadied his sword. Sensing that this battle was almost at a close, he engaged Bahamut in one final round before the end.

Bit by bit the light flowed from Riku's heart into the two spinning Keyblades he held in his hands. With each moment that passed he grew weaker, letting himself succumb to the darkness that was moving in to fill in the empty places in his heart.

"I'm not afraid of the darkness," he told himself. "I can do this. I won't let this world fall into nothingness." _If ugly wants a heart, he'll get one._

As the Keyblades spun faster and faster, they began to glow a soft white with the energy that emanated from their master. The energy began to spin around him, forming a barrier that would protect him from an enemy attack. As more energy escaped his heart, he felt weaker, nearly falling over from the strain of charging the Keyblades.

Riku felt the last of the light move away from his heart and felt the darkness move in and completely surround it. He barely had a few seconds before the darkness took his body as well. He had to fight to keep the light in the weapons and not take it back. With great pain he threw the two blades into Ultima. Using the Keyblades, he could control the great ball of energy. Once the Keyblades connected, the light was released into the spell. It nearly doubled in size and power as the light from Riku's heart added the finishing touches. With the spell completed it was now time to put an end to the battle before he faded away into the darkness.

"Everyone, get out of the way! NOW!" he screamed. Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett, hearing his voice, ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. Under great focus and strength, Riku heaved the great ball of energy towards his enemy.

_Let mine be the last heart you take, you bastard._ The spell fired. It sped toward Bahamut with blinding speed. Sensing its incredible power, the great King of The Dragons tried to move away desperately, but it was too late. The spell connected and released its energy onto Bahamut.

Instantly, light was everywhere. The sonic boom from the explosion alone was enough to shatter Bahamut's bones. The beast's skin disintegrated first followed by its muscles and flesh. Its roar was deafened by the energy released from Ultima. The green light seemed to attach itself to Bahamut's flesh and embed itself in it. Before long Bahamut was surrounded in a green ball of light. Riku heard multiple explosions from within the ball, each as violent and deadly as the initial one. The ball doubled in size, blowing everything around it outward and then began to shrink, sucking everything in. The ball imploded on itself growing smaller and smaller until it was a faint pinpoint. It then exploded in a great ball of flame sending a shockwave through the ground and then was no more.

The last thing Riku remembers before fading away was the quiet of an empty plain where a great tower once was.


	10. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 9

**Ansem's Second Report**

**Chapter IX**

Riku awoke amidst a vast sea of the deepest darkness. He was cold, and as far as he could see, completely alone. The only sound audible here was the beating of his own heart.

_My heart..._ he thought. He searched his heart and found nothing but darkness, even in the places where the light once shined brightly. He didn't despair. Nothing bothered him, or could bother him ever again. He did what he did to save friends, to prevent a world from being destroyed. He regretted nothing and he didn't look back. Instead, he accepted his fate and faced the darkness.

He began to walk, though he really didn't know why. The dark realm spread out forever before him into infinity. He knew he wasn't going anywhere. His mind raced with thoughts of the battle before. He knew the spell he cast destroyed Bahamut, but what had it done to his friends, and to their world? He pushed the terrible thought from his mind. He wanted nothing to do with that world any longer. This was his place in existence now, and nothing would change that.

The Oathkeeper appeared in his right hand. Riku was caught by surprise at its presence. He looked at it as if he were afraid to hold it, almost as if the weapon would consider him an enemy. The weapon had shocked him. Even with all of the darkness in his heart, the Keyblade still considered him its master. It still considered him strong enough to carry it here in this realm of darkness. Riku looked at the weapon. It was glowing brightly. Riku squinted as he looked at it. The light hurt his eyes. He tried dismissing the Keyblade, but it only came back to him and glowed brighter. Then something caught Riku's eye.

On the floor in front of him, the darkness was receding away from the light the Keyblade gave off. Riku walked over toward the weakening darkness and touched the floor with the Keyblade. Suddenly the darkness began receding faster and faster away from Riku. It gave way to reveal a gigantic circular pedestal made of stained glass. There was a mural on the surface. Riku saw a boy in a dark cloak that looked remarkably like Sora. He recognized the face of Roxas. Next to him was another boy holding the Kingdom Key. He looked enough to be Sora, but his visage was masked in darkness.

"What does this mean?" he said to himself.

_"Nothing. Such a thing is meaningless," _said a voice. Two figures appeared from the thick darkness. Riku gazed into the eyes of Roxas, and the masked visage of another hooded figure.

"What will happen to me?" he said.

The figure next to Roxas laughed. "All in good time, old friend." The voice was not that of Sora.

"Who are you?" Riku asked, drawing the Oathkeeper in defense.

"Nobody," said Roxas.

"You stay out of this, non-existent," snapped Riku. He turned back to the other figure. "I'll ask you again. Only this time, don't expect me to be so nice."

"I am," said the figure, "one of the Four."

Riku straightened up. "What?"

"I am sorry Riku. The time for you to find your friend is not now. But you will be happy to know that he is alive and well and that, thanks to Roxas, the Oblivion has been safely delivered to him. You will meet him, but not now."

"This is bullshit."

"Riku," said Roxas. "Trust him."

"Yes Riku," said the figure. "Trust me. There are things in motion for which we need you. A war is coming. The very realm at the heart of all worlds may be in danger."

A look of confusion flashed on Riku's face, followed by one of determination.

"You're lying," he said. He once again drew his Keyblade. "I don't know who you are or what you did to Sora, I swear to him I'll find out, even if I have to beat it out of you."

The figure smiled. "Yes. This will be the test. I must know if you can yet be of use to us. Your…antics during your last battle have left your heart scarred. But I may be able to help."

He rose his arms and as he did, portals emanating light opened all around Riku, surrounding him. Out from the portals came grotesque creatures, ghostly in form, but bearing gigantic feathered wings, and piercing white-hot eyes. On their heads were three horns, mangled in different random ways, and on their arms where their hands should have been there were sharp claws.

"This will do," said the mysterious figure. "Fight them."

"What are these things?"

"They," said the man, pointing to the creatures, "are Chasers." And with that, he and Roxas were gone, vanishing back into the darkness.

Riku met the creatures with the same stare they showed him. The Oathkeeper glowed brightly. Riku had no choice but to give it what it wanted.

One of the creatures made the first move, rising up into the air and swooping down at Riku. Riku leaped into the air above the creature and sliced downward with the Keyblade, cutting through the monster's head. The creature fell to the floor, blood spewing forth from its open head. It evaporated into a flood of white smoke and was gone. The other creatures, seeing this, bared their elongated, sharp teeth and bellowed at Riku. He landed several feet from the group of creatures and whirled around, holding his Keyblade at the ready. He looked into the crowd. There must have been at least ten of them. _Good_, he thought. _They die just like Heartless. There must be a connection._

"Bring it on, you bastards."

The battle had started. They were instantly all in the air, beating their enormous wings rapidly and lunging at Riku. They were very coordinated in their attacks and were quick to lunge at Riku. He dodged them swiftly, but he was getting tired. He found a pattern. He dodged left and spun, bringing the Oathkeeper into the gut of one creature, cutting it down. He then jumped into the air just as another one swooped down at him and stabbed it through the chest. Both monsters erupted in white smoke and blood. He kicked another creature in mid-air, sending it tumbling through the air and into the darkness beyond. The demon exploded in white smoke against the thick wall of darkness that surrounded the area.

One of the monsters grabbed Riku and dug its claws into his back. Blood stained his clothes. The monster hurled Riku down to the ground. He crashed with a loud thud into the floor of the glass pedestal. He stood and prepared a spell. There were simply too many of these 'Chasers' and he realized after the previous blow that he couldn't take them on brute strength alone. He needed more than just the Keyblade.

They circled above his head and lunged through the air at him. He rose the Keyblade into the air and muttered the word for the spell.

"Firaga." The Keyblade glowed red, infused with the energy from the spell. Riku leaped up at them, rapidly firing bolts of red-hot fire into their formation, breaking them up and separating them. They scattered, but they weren't fast enough. Firaga caught some of them, burning their flesh and their wings. The ones whose feathers caught fire fell to the ground screaming in pain.

Riku was high in the air, continuing his barrage of fire. The spell helped him break them up and separate them, making it quite easy for him to attack them with the Keyblade. He dismissed the spell and once again resumed slashing the monsters. As he fell through the air he cut one down, killing it, and seeing another several feet to his right, threw the Oathkeeper at it. It hit and the creature erupted in a bright white cloud.

He landed onto the ground and immediately sliced through another Chaser. He turned to see another coming straight for him and brought the Keyblade low. He cut upward through the monster and ducked as the smoke and blood poured over him. He looked around him at the other creatures. _Four left_, he thought, smiling to himself. He began twirling his Keyblade around in circles, gathering the energy for another spell. He spun the blade faster and faster. A suction began to form in the air around him.

"Aero," he said, and the spell was activated. From the twirling blade a great wind emanated and a tornado formed. Using the energy of the spell, Riku moved it toward his adversaries. He watched the Chasers get sucked into the huge column of wind. The pressure formed in the twister easily overcame them and Riku saw traces of white smoke seeping its way through the column. His Keyblade disappeared and he knew they were gone.

He called the spell off and watched the tornado dissipate. There was a clapping behind him. Riku turned to see the mysterious figure on the other side of the pedestal.

"Very good," he said. "I never doubted you."

Riku brought the Oathkeeper up in defense. He wasn't taking anymore chances. He didn't know if he could take this being one on one. Blood came from the wound on his back and dripped on the floor at his feet.

"I don't wish to fight you," said the man, putting his hands up. "I only wanted to test you. You have proven yourself worthy."

Riku straightened. "Worthy of what?"

"All in good time."

"Stop saying that! Just tell me what's happening to me. Why do you have the Kingdom Key?"

"Ah, finally, a question! Relax, Riku. I will explain everything. For starters, I will restore your heart to the rift between dark and light. I was anticipating you would destroy it to save your friends in Midgar."

Riku's eyes widened. "Wh…what did you say?"

"Yes, Riku," said the man. "_I _ was the one who summoned Bahamut."


	11. Ansem's Second Report Chapter 10

**Ansem's Second Report**

**Chapter X**

Riku stared at the strange man in shock. "What…did you say?"

The hooded man laughed. "Tell me," he said, "are you really _that_ surprised?"

Riku swore as he summoned the Oathkeeper. He wasn't going to let this man get away with what he did. His friends could have died in that battle. Riku felt his rage swell inside of him. It gave him power, made him strong. He would use this strength to do away with this being once and for all.

Riku ran toward him, raising the Keyblade up, preparing for an attack. He leaped high into the air, waiting for that perfect moment, when his weapon would connect with his adversary and banish him to the darkness for all eternity. Once he was done with this man, this thing, he would resume his search for his long lost friend, find him, and finally bring him home.

He came down with much force, arching the Oathkeeper downward toward the hooded man's head. The hooded man put his hand up. "Stop," he said, and stop Riku did. He hung there in mid-air, holding onto the Keyblade. The hooded man put his hand down, and, to Riku's astonishment, the Keyblade dropped to the ground as well.

"Back off," the man said, and Riku and the Keyblade were flung across the floor to the other side of the platform, as if being pulled by an invisible force.

"As I said. I do not wish to fight you," said the man. Riku rose to his feet, his eyes wide. The man turned toward him. "You want to know who I am…don't you."

"Why?" Riku whispered. "Why do you control the Keyblade?"

"Because," the man said, raising his hands, "_I created it_."

Riku's blood froze in his veins. He could barely bring himself to believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"There is much the King has not told you, young man."

"But why? How?"

"Be still. All will be explained. Time is already short, and I'm afraid the enemy moves ever closer to discovering our plans."

"What…plans?" Riku dismissed the Keyblade, now enamored with this man. No, not a man. He couldn't be sure what this was.

"All in good time," said the man. "First, I shall tell you a story. It would be in your best interest to listen closely to what I have to say, for this concerns you and Sora."

Riku snapped to attention. "You know where Sora is?"

The man put a hand up. "First, listen. There's not much time."

Riku waited there as the man told his story. "For eons before the first world, before the first living heart, and even before existence itself as you know it, there existed one realm. It was a realm that had no heart, yet existed completely within the light. Beings such as myself lived there, and basked in the comforting warmth the light had to offer. Happiness abounded. It was a place which you now refer to as 'Paradise', or recently, as 'Kingdom Hearts.'

"In the society of this realm of light, I was one of four elders, heralding unlimited power, existing above the others in the world, and looked to from everyone as a sage and as a teacher. As such a master of knowledge, my comrades came to me with many a question dealing with the light and where we had come from and other such inquiries. I and the others that stood behind me did our best to answer their questions and keep their inquisitive minds at peace. Still, there was much to know about our existence and why we existed in the first place.

"We spent many years studying the mysteries of our realm and its many mystical properties. After a short period of time, we found that we could harness the energy of our realm and transform it. The combinations we discovered were innumerable. We found combinations for everything including fire, ice, water, earth, wind, and even light and darkness. Essentially, we learned to use our abilities and knowledge to create matter."

Riku looked hard at the sage. "The worlds," he said, "That's how they were made!"

"Yes," said the sage, "that's just it. We sages built the worlds with our 'magic' and thus filled the worlds with our power. It was through this infusion that life began to appear in many different forms.

"It became apparent to me and my associates that we needed a way to establish order in this mess of worlds. It was then deemed that every small group of worlds will be watched by one chosen by us. Thus, the Keyblade Masters were born. The worlds were split into small groups and one was chosen to lead and defend them, wielding the one weapon that had the ability to unleash the true power of their hearts: the Keyblade.

"At this time, my colleagues and myself had become aware of the darkness lurking in the hearts of those that lived on the worlds and of the darkness that lived in the hearts of the worlds themselves. We deemed that the weapons such as the Keyblades, when weilded by the right people, would indeed be formidable weapons against this threat. It was imperative that we carefully choose the ones to wield the weapons. In order to achieve this quickly, we allowed the Keyblades themselves to be the judges and choose those that we deemed worthy of their might.

"There were four chosen to construct the Keyblades, I myself included. The number of Masters numbered in the tens of millions spread widely throughout the multiverse. Once the deliveries had been completed, we forged four 'Master Keys' for ourselves. These special Keyblades would hold nearly unlimited power and would only be used for government of the Masters."

"Are these Master Keys still around? I've never seen them before," said Riku.

"As a matter of fact, Riku, you have. In my realm we know them as 'The Four.' You know them as the Kingdom Key, the Oathkeeper, the Oblivion, and the Ultima Weapon.

"The intricate hierarchy had been completed. Over the many thousands of years the Masters kept order and peace, but soon came to disagreement on many things. It is difficult for people from different walks of life to see things the same way. Fights erupted, beliefs were changed, dangerous alliances were made in blind rage without thought or reason. The Keyblade Masters were sinking into the darkness they had sworn to destroy.

"Then, approximately two thousand years ago, a terrible war began that shook the very fabric that held the worlds together. The battle pitted those that fell to their inner darkness against those that were strong enough to resist it. Keyblade Master killed Keyblade Master, and soon entire armies were arisen to carry out the Masters' wills in battle. Never in the history of the multiverse had so much blood been spilled. One by one army after army fell, taking many Masters with them. The worlds that hosted the battles fell to darkness and blinked out of the night sky, too weak to continue their once-thriving life. We, even with our great power, could do nothing to stop the advance of their rage and the power of darkness.

"At the end of the war, the worlds lay in ruin. Worlds once covered with plains and lush forests now were nothing but lifeless deserts. Mountains were leveled and the air and water on the worlds were either too stale to be used or simply ceased to exist. Moreover, there remained only a handful of Keyblade Masters to govern still many thousands of worlds. We called the remaining Masters to our realm in order to convene with them about the best course of action.

"The conferences ended well with high hopes. The Keyblade Masters remained generally optimistic. As for The Four, the same cannot be said. One of us, the one who held the Oblivion had other ideas."

"Who was he?" asked Riku.

"I will not speak his true name," said the sage. "Just know that he is the cause for the creatures you so valiantly give your life to fight against. After the great Keyblade War, as it had come to be known, this one became enamored with the darkness, having seen the power it brought to its wielder, no matter how fleeting that power may be. He resigned as sage in order to study it more closely that he may harness its power. He didn't realize that he had already slipped into the darkness on his own.

"When we bade him to leave his Key behind, he became angry and lunged at us. We fought in our palace for a short while and were able to chase him off into the shadows beyond our realm. He screamed revenge as he fled into the infinite darkness. While there in the shadows, he was able to take hold of the power of darkness and give life to beings made completely from its evil. You have fought many of them before. You call them 'Heartless'"

"Those without hearts," Riku muttered, amazed.

"Precisely, Riku. Over time in the dark, he was able to amass a great and terrible army of these creatures. He returned to our realm one thousand strong and demanded that we subject to his will. When we refused, he began a full war against our realm and took the hearts of millions of innocents to add to his ranks.

"Once again, we called for the few Keyblade Masters left in the multiverse. The great Keyblade War, it seemed, had not ended with them. We met for one final struggle in the field where thousands of Keyblades, once belonging to great Masters, now lay in the dirt, rotting with rust. This is precisely why our realm has come to be called the Realm Of A Thousand Keyblades. There, while the other Masters dealt with the Heartless, we waited for him. He met us amidst the dying weapons and summoned the Oblivion. We summoned our weapons and it began. He showed immense skill with a blade, easily parrying and returning strikes from three opponents. No doubt darkness aided him in the battle. It was as if he could sense our moves moments before we executed them. The three of us fanned out and surrounded him, pressing him as we did with blow after blow, cut after cut, but his speed was incredible. We fell into a rhythm as the fight dragged on, neither side gaining or losing. It went on for some time. Finally, he tired, and I was successfully able to connect with a slash to his back. He fell to the ground and dropped his weapon. We were on him before he could summon the weapon back to him. Seeing that he had no way to go, he surrendered and the Oblivion was added to those in the graveyard. The other Keyblade Masters shortly reported that all Heartless had been destroyed. Peace had come once again to our realm and the threat of the great Keyblade War had finally passed.

"The traitor was imprisoned and eventually tried. The council of my realm deemed him too dangerous to be kept there. The only thing we could think of was to banish him to one of the worlds closest to our realm so that he could be monitored."

"Why didn't you just destroy him?" demanded Riku sharply.

"It is not our way," said the sage. "We do not kill our prisoners. That would only add to the darkness and make it stronger. We above all else did not desire that. Banishment was the only way. After successfully wiping his memory and constructing him a body, we sent him into the multiverse and placed him on a world we deemed would be best. It was a small world governed by a wise sage who taught strictly the ways of the light. The people there were a peaceful people and we didn't think there was any way the traitor could grow into a problem. We made sure he was placed in the direct care of the sage.

"Many years passed, and not one disturbance was sensed from that world. Our watch over that world eventually lessened as we turned from it towards the needs of other worlds. There was much damage done since the War and many people cried for help in those dark times. So it was no surprise to us when we felt it. It was as though a beacon lit up. We heard it like wind in the trees, or like the distant rumble of thunder. A new force of darkness was growing. Compared to this new evil, the evil of the great War was as nothing.

"We turned back to the world to find it in chaos. It seemed that although we robbed the traitor of his identity, we could not quell his inquisitive nature. He dispatched the governor sage and turned once again to darkness, as if he was fated to always live in it. He had found a way to harness the darkness there on that world and se his knowledge of their technology to build a machine that would artificially create denizens of darkness from living hearts, the Heartless."

Riku's eyes widened.

"Yes, Riku," said the sage with a smile. "You know this traitor don't you? You've met him before, fought with him and against him, haven't you?

Riku backed away a step. "No," he said, "I don't believe it. It can't be."

"But it is," the sage replied. "He is the one that changed your life, and the one that threatens all life even now. We know him as the traitor, but you know him differently."

"Xehanort," uttered Riku. "Then…the world he was sent to was…"

"…Hallow Bastion. Precisely."

"But, we defeated Xehanort's Heartless and Xemnas as well. We defeated him. There's no way he could still be a danger to us."

The sage raised a finger at Riku. "You are forgetting something young Keyblade Master: the Chasers."

"What are they," asked Riku.

"The Chasers," said the sage, "are everything and nothing at all, a new nemesis. They are more powerful than Heartless and Nobody combined. When a heart is taken, the darkness in the heart grows into a Heartless that in turn seeks other hearts to consume. The body left behind is deemed an empty shell and, without a heart to guide it, also falls to darkness. This is called a Nobody: empty shells without hearts. What about the soul?"

"The soul?" asked Riku.

"Yes, the soul. All beings consist of three things: the heart, body, and soul. Without one, the other two cannot possibly exist. Whenever a Heartless takes a heart, the body and soul are left. Without a heart to guide them, the body and soul fall to darkness and transform into a Nobody and a Chaser, eaters of souls. They are exceptionally dangerous and masterfully powerful. They consume the light in the souls of complete beings and degrade them into lesser creatures, thus creating more Heartless, Nobodies, and Chasers."

"What do they have to do with Xehanort?"

"My boy, they have everything to do with Xehanort. You defeated Xehanort's Heartless, the one that called itself Ansem, and Xemnas, the Nobody of Xehanort."

Riku gasped as the realization hit him. "There's one more."

"Yes, Riku, there is. The Memories Of Xehanort still thrive in his Chaser. You see, when a being is changed into the trinity of lesser beings, its memories go with the soul. As long as the Memories Of Xehanort are at large, no world is safe."

"And what of Sora?"

"Sora is safe," said the sage. "He waits at the Realm Of A Thousand Keyblades for you and Kairi. After the defeat of Xemnas, I sent another letter to Sora on destiny islands. At first I did not believe the Keyblade Master would heed my call so I stamped the seal of the King onto it to get his attention."

Riku's head slumped. "He left without ever saying anything. Kairi too."

"They wanted you to find your own way. It was the only way I could meet you since we didn't have much time."

"It's just that I haven't seen him in so long."

"Oh no," said the sage, "you saw him quite recently.

Riku remembered Midgar, the building in the square. His eyes lit up. "That was him!"

"Yes, Riku, it was. He thought you might need motivation."

"So," said Riku, "what now?"

"There is not much time. Already things are moving too rapidly to keep track of. The enemy becomes ever more powerful in the darkness. We must go to the Realm Of A Thousand Keyblades and plan a course of action. It seems we were wrong once again. The Keyblade War has not yet ended. Rather it has just begun. Come Riku. It is time the Four were reunited. The Memories Of Xehanort must be put to rest once and for all."

The sage opened a rift into the void beyond the stained glass platform. Beyond the portal Riku saw a vast field filled with rows of rusted Keyblades. At the crossroads in the field, Riku caught a glimpse of the greatest sight his eyes had ever seen: his friends Sora and Kairi. Sora turned to the portal and reached out his hand for Riku to grasp. Riku stepped through the portal with the sage and it closed behind him one final time as his hand finally touched with Sora's. Finally, they were together again.


End file.
